“The best advertising you can have is a loyal customer spreading the word about how incredible your business is.” – Shep Hyken
Every company invests resources into promoting their business and advertising its offerings. However, irrespective of the effort put in and the resources spent, there will always be some amount of doubt and apprehensions in the mind of the audience – after all no company will say that their products are bad or that they are not the best company. In order to gain long-term success and deeper market penetration, companies must use their most potent tool and most effective asset, for promotion. Getting customers to promote your company is not easy, but companies that view customers as advocates, partners, influencers, and assets from the start, would be better equipped to do so.
Despite wanting customers to promote your company, there are still several reasons why customers do not recommend your company to others. One of the top reasons and perhaps one that should be obvious is the fact that companies do not ask customers to promote its products and services, or do not provide them with easy options to recommend / refer. If you want customers to promote your company, it is best to request them to do so, and then make it extremely easy for them to use any channel, at any time to make the referrals and promote your company. However, it is important to remember that while getting customers to promote your company, it must not seem like your company has requested the promotional comments. The fact is that even if your company does not realize it, customers are extremely indispensable to help with marketing, selling, developing of products, and promoting your company.
Get information, from some customers, which would be extremely helpful and useful for other customers, and publish it (with the permission of customers of course). This insider knowledge and expertise would have a profound positive effect on the behaviour and attitude of a larger audience. When people with expertise and authority lend their voice and provide information about a company, other prospective customers and the audience at large, listens and believes. What better way to gain promotion for your company – getting top leaders to speak on topics that would be helpful to others, while simultaneously speaking well of your company. It is a win-win situation for all.
To get customers to promote your company, your company must first believe in its offerings, and display confidence in the benefits from the products and or services. Of course, despite the belief, potential customers would not take the company’s word and confidence as reason to buy. However, if existing customers too believe in the product, their word would provide social proof, increase visibility for the company, and provide valuable insights to others through the insider industry information. The reason every company should get customers to promote their company is customers do not have any stake / claim in the company and would only speak well of it, if the products and or services worked well for them, hence their opinion would be believable. Their word would hold value because customers are known to share their poor experiences more often than the good ones, and if they speak well of a company consistently it would mean that the company would have done something right.
To get customers to promote your company ensure that you provide them with lasting and pleasant experiences. Make every interaction unique and standout – give them individualized attention, and show them that they are special and important for your company. The more often and better your company can do all of this, the greater the chances that your customers would be willing to promote your company. Helping customers during tough times, remembering their special occasions, complimenting them on milestones and achievements, and doing little things for customers, will ensure that they not only remember you, but would be willing raving ambassadors for your company.
Another way to get customers to promote your company is by giving them a fair share of credit and appreciation. For example: if a customer provided some feedback / insights with regard to a product, and your company is able to enhance the product because of that feedback, remember to mention the customer’s name and give them due credit for their contribution. This would not only keep the customers happy, but would also encourage them spread positive comments about your company, and provide feedback and insights in the future too. With time being a constraint and one of the reasons for which customers are unable to help companies with feedback, giving them appreciation when they do will ensure they help going forward too.
Create online communities, ‘discussion boards’, or any place online where customers can share their experiences about your company with others. Your company could give them merchandise with the company’s logo – when they use the merchandise they would be identifying themselves as being associated with your company. This would be a great promotion for your company. You could also send them interesting updates and content online, which they could share with others, put their comments, or ‘post’ it forward – doing so gets them and your company greater visibility, and you would be getting customers to promote your company without any added effort.
We have said this repeatedly that prospective customers are, increasingly viewing online reviews and comments from existing customers, before deciding for or against a company. To get customers to promote your company, encourage them to write reviews and post comments. Of course, ensure that most of your customers are happy such that comments are great. However, one or two unhappy ‘posts’ would add to the credibility and genuineness of the company. Ensure that these reviews are easily ‘searchable and found’ – they provide social proof and the confidence that prospective customers would need in order to trust a company.
Give reasons to customers to promote your company. Give them reasons to pass on information, content, and any other material from the company to their friends and associates. Ensure they have enough material to share – make sure that you provide them with copies of brochures, marketing kits, other promotional items such that they could pass them on to their friends, family, and others. Additionally, there could be offers, discounts, coupons, and other promotional offers that a particular customer may not need – make it easy for them to pass it on to someone who might have use of them. In doing so, you would not only get your immediate customers to promote your company, but would also gain the attention of the customer’s friend. This increases the reach and visibility of your company – and since the offer would be useful to the person, they would most likely talk about it to their friends and family.
Companies know that they cannot exist without customers, and most companies say that customers are their most valued assets. However, if you were not seeking the help of customers to promote your company, you would be devaluing and wasting this ‘asset’. With so many channels through which you could get customers to promote your company, it is a lot easier to persuade them to help your company gain visibility. Leverage the strengths of the internet and social media to gain the publicity you need, through your most valuable assets and most potent ‘weapon’ – your customers.
